Carex zotovii
Common names
Zotov’s bastard grass, Zotov’s hook sedge
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Sedges
Detailed description
Plants rather open, widely spreading, pale yellow-green tufts; tufts often with only 2–3 distant culms per plant. Culms drooping or nodding, 300–600 mm long, < 1 mm diameter, trigonous, glabrous, often scabrid just below inflorescence, basal bracts light brown. Leaves 4–6 per culm, < mature culms, 2–5 mm wide, soft, scabrid on margins and on adaxial surface towards apex. Spikes 40–80 × 3–6 mm, often bracteate, clavate, male part of spike usually c. 1 mm. diameter and ⅕– ¼ length of whole spike, female flowers 12–32, lax towards base of spike with internodes 4–8 mm long, more crowded above with internodes 0.5–1.0 mm long. Glumes ± = utricles, deciduous, ovate, acute or acuminate, hyaline with green midrib or brownish. Utricles 5.0–6.0 × c. 1.5 mm, trigonous or triquetrous, ovoid, usually smooth except for a prominent lateral nerve, but occasionally with a few less distinct nerves, green to grey-brown, stipe 1.0–1.5 mm long, beak 1–2 mm long.
Similar taxa
Carex zotovii is most similar to C. horizontalis (Colenso) K.A.Ford and Carex minor (Kük.) K.A.Ford. From Carex horizontalis it can be distinguished by its wider (2.5–5.0 cf. 1.5–2.0 mm), pale green to yellow-green, rather than dark green leaves, loosely tufted, spreading and more open growth habit, with fewer culms rather than the erect, many-culmed, densely tufted growth habit typical of C. horizontalis. Carex minor is superficially similar but the glumes in the lower part of the spike are > utricles. In C. zotovii the glumes are equal to or < utricles in the lower part of the spike, and in mature spikes the utricles spread out at 90º from the rachis, while those of C. minor a stay contracted.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island, South Island (mainly Nelson, Otago and Southland), Stewart and Chatham Islands.
Habitat
Coastal to montane (up to 1000 m a.s.l.) usually on ridge lines in tall forest, favouring well drained but moist soils. Rarely in tall scrub.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Cyperaceae
Synonyms
Uncinia zotovii Hamlin
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
October–December
Fruiting
November–May
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed and by division of established plants—though these may take a while to settle. Prefers moist soil in a a semi-shaded site. However, once established will tolerate a wide range of conditions except waterlogging.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Etymology
carex: Latin name for a species of sedge, now applied to the whole group.
zotovii: After Victor Dmitrievich Zotov (1908 - 1977), one of New Zealand’s most eminent botanists who studied the vegetation of NZ high country and the classification of NZ grasses. He also completed a detailed study of the vegetation of the Tararua Range.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
CARZOT
Chromosome number
2n = 88
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Moore LB, Edgar E. 1970. Flora of New Zealand, Volume II. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Monocotyledones except Gramineae. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 354 p.
Attribution
Description adapted from Moore and Edgar (1970). Fact sheet prepared by Peter J. de Lange 17 August 2006.
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Carex zotovii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/carex-zotovii/ (Date website was queried)